Rocky Balboa
*Dipper Brown *Ernie Roman *Ivan Drago *Jack Reid *Joe Chan *Joe Czak *Kofi Langton *Mac Lee Green *Mason Dixon *Randy Tate *Spider Rico *Tim Simms *Tommy Gunn *Union Cane *Vito Soto }} Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Sr. is a fictional boxer created and portrayed by Sylvester Stallone in the ''Rocky'' series from 1976 to 2006. Rocky is famous for being extremely tenacious and most of all as Mickey would say 'fights with his heart'. Biography Early life Robert "Rocky" Balboa was born on July 6, 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Roman Catholic, he quit school after the ninth grade. According to his father, Rocky wasn't born with much intelligence. He made up for this shortcoming by working out and training as a boxer. Rocky had plenty of street smarts growing up in the rough South Philadelphia slums. He did what he could, even if it meant fighting, to survive. Up until late 1975, Balboa was working as an enforcer for Tony Gazzo, the local loan shark, while at the same time fighting the local club circuit. By this time, Rocky had fought in 64 fights, winning 44 (38 KO'S) and losing 20. A source of pride for Balboa was that he never had his nose broken in a professional fight (He eventually suffered a broken nose in his first fight with Apollo Creed). His closest friend has always been Paulie Pennino, whose sister, Adrian Pennino, Rocky would ultimately marry. An opportunity Rocky got his big break when heavyweight champion Apollo Creed decided to give some local Philadelphia talent a chance to fight for his title after his scheduled opponent, Mack Lee Green, suffered a hand injury and was unable to fight. Apollo selected Rocky mainly because of his nickname, "The Itallion Stallion." Rocky initially refused, saying that a fight between the heavyweight champion and a simple club fighter like himself would not be a very good matchup. The fight's promoter, Jergens, convinced Rocky that an opportunity like this was one in a million, and he shouldn't pass it by. Rocky then accepted, and began training with Mickey Goldmill as his manager. On New Year's Day 1976, Rocky Balboa faced Apollo Creed in the Philadelphia Spectrum for the heavyweight title. Rocky pulled off a miracle by becoming the only fighter to go the distance with the champion. However, Apollo was awarded the split-decision victory. The rematch After that first fight, Rocky intended to retire from boxing and settle into a normal life with his wife Adrian, whom he married in March 1976. Apollo, however, was bitter over the fight's subsequent fallout. He may have won by decision, but he felt he didn't take the fight as seriously as he should have, and that Rocky just got lucky. He was heavily criticized in the media and by boxing fans, being accused of having the fight fixed and being called a "disgrace to the sport." Apollo felt that the only way to redeem himself was by challenging Rocky to a rematch. Meanwhile, Rocky was having difficulty finding work. Eventually, he got a job at the meat-packing plant where Paulie worked, but this job was short-lived. Rocky came to realize that fighting was what he's supposed to be doing. With Adrian's blessing, Rocky once again trained with Mickey. The big rematch, dubbed Superfight II, was again held at the Spectrum on Thanksgiving Day 1976. The fight was a particularly brutal one, with both fighters falling to the ground exhausted toward the end of the final round. Racing against the referee's ten-count and each other, Rocky and Apollo wearily climbed the ropes to be the first on his feet. Rocky was the first to get up, and was declared the new heavyweight champion of the world. The new challenge After his tenth title defense, Rocky was challenged by a newcomer named Clubber Lang, a Chicago-based fighter who quickly climbed the ranks to become the number one contender for Rocky's title. During a ceremony on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum in Rocky's honor, Clubber showed up and presented a challenge. Rocky agreed, but Mickey wanted no part of it. He felt that Rocky had gone soft since winning his title and wouldn't stand a chance against a "wrecking machine" like Clubber. Rocky, however, dismissed Clubber as just another fighter, and finally convinced Mickey to train him for one last fight. On the night of August 15, 1981, Rocky and Clubber met at the Spectrum for the title fight. During a pre-fight melee, Clubber inadvertently shoved Mickey to the ground, causing him to suffer a heart attack. Unable to concentrate on the fight, Rocky suffered a humiliating defeat when Clubber knocked him out in the second round and was crowned the new heavyweight champion. In the locker room after the fight, Rocky had one last conversation with Mickey before he passed away. Rocky was devastated by the loss of his mentor and friend. Alone in Mickey's Gym one night, Rocky received a surprise visit from the former champ Apollo Creed, who offered to help Rocky win the title back. After some apprehension, Rocky agreed to Apollo's proposal. Apollo then took Rocky to the Watts section of Los Angeles, where he trained him in the same way that Apollo himself was trained. With Apollo now in his corner, Rocky was prepared to take on Clubber Lang in the much-anticipated rematch held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Rocky was able to defeat Clubber in the third round and regain his title. East versus West When Rocky IV rolled around Apollo Creed and Rocky had been training together for quite sometime, but Creed had been retired, yet he was itching to fight. Apollo got his chance in a charity event with a man from the Soviet Union, Ivan Drago. The fight starts off in a funny manner with Creed having fun dancing around, but ends up a totally different story with Creed dead in the center of the boxing ring. At that point Rocky felt some what responsible and set up a match with the infamous Ivan Drago, but there was a catch. The fight was to be held on Christmas day, in Moscow, Soviet Union. So Rocky flew out to the Soviet Union and started training with nothing more than snow to run in and a log cabin to work out in. The night of the fight Rocky was in a foreign country in a stadium full of soviets cheering for Ivan Drago. The fight starts off as if Ivan Drago isn’t human and is unable to be hurt and he pounds on Rocky. Then after a couple of rounds of Rocky swinging away and no visible damage is done, Rocky catches Ivan Drago in the eye and cuts him, showing the world that he is in fact human. The fight progresses fast after that with a bloody battle between the two men and with the Soviet crowd slowly turning to Rocky’s side. The fight ends with Rocky knocking out Ivan Drago in the last few seconds of the fight, leaving Rocky with victory. Tommy Gunn Rocky lost all of his money and going back to living the ghetto of Philladelphia. Rocky also realized he had Cavum septum pellucidum, a disease that boxers get when they take too many hits to the head. Rocky started training an up and coming fighter, Tommy Gunn. Tommy Gunn slowly became the best fighter around, but still didn’t have the title yet. Tommy Gunn ended up leaving his trainer Rocky over an argument and won the title. But because of the controversy on whether he was actually a champ because he never fought the real champ, Rocky, he challenged Rocky to a fight. Rocky declined but after a turn of events Rocky and Tommy Gunn end up in a street brawl with Rocky taking control and showing Tommy Gunn who is boss. Later life In Rocky Balboa, Rocky is somewhat of an older man living out his days running a little restaurant in Philly when one day he sees a computer generated version of a hypothetical fight between the Past champ, Rocky (in his prime), and the present one, Mason Dixon. The fight has Rocky winning, and it stirs up some commotion. Rocky and Dixon end up having a charity fight. After some training, Rocky got back in the ring one last time. Rocky and Dixon duke it out for the entire distance of the match which was to some people out of question. Dixon ends up winning the fight on a tie breaker; But Rocky was the real champion. He exceeded his goals, along with everyone else’s by going the distance. Boxing Style Though right-handed, Rocky fights as a southpaw (left handed). He's a hybrid-fighter, possessing the qualities of an Inside-fighter, brawler, and swarmer. With the exception of his rematch against Clubber Lang where he fights as an Outside-fighter, he advances quickly upon his opponents, driving them into the ropes and setting upon them with a devastating body attack. Rocky is well known for wearing opponents down over the course of a bout. Balboa's iron jaw allows him to take brutal punishment throughout his fights. With an iron will, he is known for overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to triumph over his opponents. It is this trait that inspires fans worldwide, sending the message that nothing is out of reach if one believes in himself. Balboa, as stated by Jim Lampley during the fight against Mason Dixon, is renowned for his "cast iron jaw, ferocious body attack, and will of steel; all of which carried him to victories over the years against physically superior opponents". Rocky has an uncanny ability to sense weakness in his opponents, seizing every opportunity to capitalize on a momentum shift in his fights. No matter how exhausted and battered, Balboa pushes his offensive edge. In the first title fight with Apollo Creed, announcer Stu Nahan refers to Rocky as a "bull in a china shop" after witnessing the offensive onslaught. The fight scenes in the last movie, Rocky Balboa, are considered to be the most realistic in film history, with many boxing experts considering Stallone's in-ring performance to be his best ever. Appearances *''Rocky I'' *''Rocky II'' *''Rocky III'' *''Rocky IV'' *''Rocky V'' *''Rocky Balboa'' *''Rocky'' video game *''Rocky: Legends'' *''Ivan Drago: Justice Enforcer'' Trivia *He was once a smoker. *Though he fights as a southpaw, Rocky writes with his right hand. *His car's registration plate reads "S0THPAW". *Though he is responsible for the popularization of the red, white and blue trunks in popular culture, Balboa wore a combination of black and gold for the majority of his career, including the rematch with Apollo Creed. The red, white, and blue trunks were - in fact - a present from Creed for the rematch against Lang, and a tribute following his death. *Authorities in the Serbian village of Žitište plan to build a monument to Rocky. *Rocky had defeated 4 previously undefeated fighters: Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago, and Mason Dixon. *Was mentioned in Mims' song Like This External links *Report on Rocky 6 and comparison to Rocky Marciano *AUDIO: Sylvester Stallone on boxing and faith *Statue Photo of Rocky Balboa statue at Philadelphia Museum. Category:Boxers